Jazz Players to Host Junior Jazz Sportsmanship Party at EnergySolutions Arena on March 25

Submitted by blea on Fri, 2014-03-21 13:57

SALT LAKE CITY (March 21, 2014) – The Utah Jazz will host the eighth annual Junior Jazz Sportsmanship Party for nearly 1,000 boys and girls at EnergySolutions Arena on Tuesday, March 25 at 6:30 p.m. The event is designed to honor and reward teams that best exemplify sportsmanlike conduct throughout the season. Jazz players Rudy Gobert, Malcolm Thomas and Marvin Williams will join the celebration to offer congratulations, pass out certificates and shoot hoops with the winning youth.

Following each Junior Jazz game throughout the season, every participating basketball team receives a sportsmanship score from the scorekeepers and referees based on the behavior of players, coaches and parents. The team from each age group with the highest cumulative score at the end of the season wins the sportsmanship award.

“The Junior Jazz program not only teaches youth the fundamentals of the game, but it also serves to instill important values that translate to life off the court,” said Randy Rigby, president of the Utah Jazz. “By recognizing participants for their respectful treatment of others and ethical behavior, we show them that there is more than one way to be a winner.”

The Junior Jazz Sportsmanship Program was launched in 2005 in an effort to highlight the importance of fair play and respect on the court. The initiative underscores the significant role that these values play within the game of basketball.

Junior Jazz emphasizes the development of teamwork, fundamental basketball skills and fun. Members include kindergarteners through 12th-graders, many of whom return year after year. Currently in its 31st year, Junior Jazz is the largest and longest-running youth basketball league in the NBA. With ongoing support from Industrial Supply, AT&T, Scheels, Denny’s, Larry H. Miller Dealerships and Savage Companies, the Junior Jazz program includes more than 55,000 players in seven states.